Austin Peay Vice President and Director of Athletics Gerald Harrison named TJ Bettineschi the Spirit Coordinator and Head Cheerleading Coach, May 2023.
As Spirit Coordinator, Bettineschi will also oversee the Austin Peay dance team.
Before coming to Clarksville, Bettineschi spent a year as the spirit coordinator and head cheerleading coach at Long Island University (LIU), where she oversaw the functions and scheduling of cheer, dance, band, and the mascot at campus-wide events. Bettineschi also served as an athletics success coach for the Sharks, advising over 180 student-athletes to ensure they maintained progress toward graduation.
While working for LIU, Bettineschi also served as the assistant program manager for the Matt Martin Foundation. From 2019-22, Bettineschi worked as a social studies teacher at Rochdale Charter School and she was also the varsity cheerleading coach at Massapequa High School from 2017-21.
Since 2018, Bettineschi has been a part of the Universal Cheerleader's Association as a Varsity Spirt – UCA Instructor, helping with a number of summer camps and competitions at both the regional and national levels.
Bettineschi received her bachelor's in secondary education from Ole Miss in 2017 and earned a master's in education from Stony Brook in 2021.
